Jim Morrison was a big name in the entertainment industry. He was known as a rock singer, a poet, and a songwriter. At the time of his death, he had a total net worth of $400 thousand dollars, which is about $2.5 million in today’s dollars after adjusting for inflation.
Summary:
- Full Name: James Douglas Morrison
- Nick Names: The Lizard King, Mr. Mojo Risin
- Place of Birth: Melbourne, Florida, United States
- Date of Birth: December 8, 1943
- Star Sign: Sagittarius
- Height: 5 feet 11 inch or 181 cm
- Education: Florida States University, UCLA
- Occupation: Singer, songwriter, poet, actor, director
- Years active: 1963-1971
- Net Worth: $15 million
- Spouse: Pamela Courson
- Parents: George Stephen Morrison (father), Clara Virginia Clarke (mother)
- Died: July 3, 1971
- Place of Death: Le Marais, Paris, France
- Burial Place: Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France
- Cause of Death: Heart failure
Jim Morrison was part of a band called The Doors. The Doors was formed by him and his fellow UCLA student called Ray Manzarek. In 1966, the group signed a contract with the label named Elektra Records. A year after that, the group made their debut by dropping The Doors, which was a commercial smash hit. The single entitled Light My fire peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and it managed to be at the top for a few weeks.
Following the successful debut, The Doors then released a total of five studio albums with Jim Morrison, including Strange Days (1967), Waiting For The Sun (1968), The Soft Parade (1969), Morrison Hotel (1970), and L.A. Woman (1971).
In 1970, Jim Morrison actually left The Doors and decided to stay in Paris, France. He wanted to focus on writing poetry. Unfortunately, the news from him after that was shocking. On July 3, 1971, he was found dead in a bathtub. Everything was discovered by his girlfriend named Pamela Courson. It was such an unfortunate as he was still young. According to some sources, he had a heart failure even though his death still remains a mystery until now. Some other sources said that his death was due to overdosed with heroin.
The thing known as The Doors was quite hit when Jim Morrison was around and it would be still successful for decades. Until now, the band still gathers a lot, which is about tens of millions dollars each year from royalties and merchandise alone.
Discography:
The Doors:
- 1967: The Doors
- 1967: Strange Days
- 1968: Waiting for the Sun
- 1969: The Soft Parade
- 1970: Morrison Hotel
- 1971: L.A. Woman
- 1978: An American Prayer
Filmography:
Films by Jim Morrison:
- HWY: An American Pastoral
Documentaries featuring Jim Morrison:
- 19968: The Doors Are Open
- 1968: Live in Europe
- 1968: Live at the Hollywood Bowl
- 1970: Feast of Friends
- 1981: The Doors: A Tribute to Jim Morrison
- 1985: The Doors: Dance on Fire
- 1991: The Soft Parade, a Retrospective
- 2001: The Doors: No One Here Gets Out Alive
- 2007: Final 24: Jim Morrison (the biography channel)
- 2009: When You’re Strange (won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Video in 2011)
- 2010: Rock Poet: Jim Morrison
- 2011: Morrison’s Mustang – A Vision Quest to Find The Blue Lady (in production)
- 2011: Mr. Mojo Risin’: The Story of L.A. Woman
- 2012: The Doors Live at the Bowl ‘68
- 2013: The Doors: R-Evolution
- 2014: Feast of Friends
- 2016: Danny Says
- 2018: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
Bibliography:
- 1969: The Lords and the New Creatures
- 1970: An American Prayer
- 1988: Arden Iointain, edition bilingue
- 1988: Wilderness: The Los Writings of Jim Morrison
- 1990: The American Night: The Writings of Jim Morrison
It is actually quite interesting when talking about the net worth of Jim Morrison as it is a bit complicated. Since he was still single and had no wife or children, everyone would think that his wealth goes straight to his parents, when in fact it is not. If you are curious about the whole thing, these followings paragraphs are for you.
Before he left the world forever, Jim Morrison made a will and everything was handed to Pamela Courson, the one who he considered as his common law wife. After he was no longer around, Pamela Courson was named as the only one heir to his possessions. A few months and years after that, a few women came to the surface, claiming to have children from Jim Morrison. These women and his former bandmates who claimed Jim owned them from cash advances that had been paid during his lifetime contested his will in court.
After a couple of years of battle, the court announced that Pamela Courson was the rightful heir of the wealth earned by Jim Morrison. Unfortunately, Pamela Courson followed Jim Morrison to another world at the age of 27. Since she did not leave any will, all the fortune passed to the parents of Pamela.
The parents of Jim Morrison did not satisfy with the court decision. They then sued claiming that the marriage of their son to Pamela was not legitimate. They said their registration of common law marriage was never signed or registered. Unfortunately, their claim was dismissed. The parents of Jim Morrison made a second attempt by claiming that the will made by their son was not valid because when he was still alive, he lacked capacity due to his habit of being nearly permanently under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
The battle between the parents of Jim Morrison and the parents of Pamela Courson was intense. No one wanted to give up on the wealth left by the ones who are already in different world and all of them claimed to be right. The good news is that the war came to an end when both parties agreed on an out of court settlement that made the parents of Jim Morrison get half of the royalties or 1/8 shares. In addition to that, they have full control of their son’s image, music and future royalties. Everything has been clear since then.
